Month: July 2012
- Phuket News
Phuket gold shop damaged in youth street brawl
PHUKET: A group of eight students attacked two others in front of a gold shop in the heart of Phuket Town yesterday morning. The attack, at about 10:15am, was launched in front of a hardware and electronics store on Ong Sim Pai Road in front of Kaset Market. The two students who were set upon ran to the Sri Thong…
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Phuket Sports: Olympics kick off
PHUKET: The first day of competitive sport at the London Olympics was overshadowed by a diplomatic faux pas. WOMEN’S FOOTBALL: The North Korea women’s football team walked off the pitch as the flag of South Korea was displayed before their game against Colombia. The match at Hampden Park was delayed for almost an hour before the North Korea team returned…
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Alcohol linked to Phuket vegetable dealer’s death
PHUKET: Phuket Police believe that cardiac arrest, possibly triggered by excessive alcohol intake, may have caused the death of a man whose body was found by the side of a road in Sakoo yesterday afternoon. Tah Chat Chai Police were notified of the discovery at 2:45pm. At the scene in Sakoo Village 4, off the old airport road near Nai…
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National News: HFMD update – another death; Insurgents change tactics; 92 Thais jailed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Second HFMD fatality reported Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is believed to have claimed its second life in Thailand – a young Cambodian boy living in Rayong. Rayong Public Health chief Kris Pansuk yesterday identified the victim only as…
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Fire rips through car parts warehouse in Patong
PHUKET: A fire believed to have been started by an electrical fault destroyed a car parts warehouse in Patong this afternoon.No one was reported injured in the blaze, but the damage caused has been estimated at around 100,000 baht.Responding to a call at about 12:30pm, 23 firefighters with six fire trucks and an ambulance rushed to the scene on 50…
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Phuket Books: Present at the creation
PHUKET: Carole King is a 70-year-old grandmother with four adult children from two of her four husbands. At age 48, she took up with a 27-year-old actor and kept him for six years before swapping him for another younger man for another seven. She did this because she could. She is Carole King. For the 25 million people who bought…
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British Ambassador calls for “safety first’ when travelling
PHUKET: British Ambassador to Thailand Asif Ahamd has repeated his call for UK nationals to exercise caution when travelling to Thailand and to make sure they have adequate insurance coverage when they do visit. “I have seen the sadness and anguish of victims and relatives after incidents which, if thought through, are entirely avoidable. Like the majority of visitors and…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Raise up your glasses (and your expectations)
PHUKET: Recently, the owner of the Wine Lovers wine shop in Chalong asked me to assist at a wine tasting with a different twist. Instead of comparing the merits of the wines, we were to compare the various merits of the wine glasses themselves – a “glass” tasting. Now, I am aware of the almost mystical properties that some glassware…
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Phuket Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2012 underway
PHUKET: Good news for the island’s builders, designers and property owners: the Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2012 is now underway on the second floor of the Royal Phuket City Hotel. The event runs daily from 11am to 8pm through Sunday, featuring a number of exhibitions and booths showcasing products from more than 100 manufactures and importers. As tourist numbers wane…
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Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease under control in Phuket
PHUKET: Following the outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Thailand which caused the death of a 2-year-old toddler in Bangkok last week, the situation in Phuket is largely under control, health officials say. Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Sak Tanchaikul told the Phuket Gazette that more than 10,000 cases of the viral disease have been…
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AirAsia bookings offline this weekend
PHUKET: Thai AirAsia this weekend will temporarily suspend its online booking facility for all flights to and from Bangkok after October 1. The news comes as the budget carrier prepares to move its operations from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. Starting at 10pm on Friday, technicians will be reprogramming airport codes to reflect the change from…
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Phuket People: From Yala to “la la la’
PHUKET: Warunee ‘Gig’ Suwannurak is no ordinary singer. The Phuket-based diva, and recent ‘Thailand’s Got Talent’ sensation tells her story to the Phuket Gazette. Her powerful delivery of Pink’s (rendition of) What’s Up in the first round of Thailand’s Got Talent competition received a rapturous applause from the spellbound audience. One of the three judges proclaimed: “This woman will go…
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Road warriors: Phuket FC down Songkhla, 1-0
PHUKET: A second-half goal by midfielder Marcio Santos was all Phuket FC needed to snatch three points on the road at Songkhla FC, in a match played in front of a small crowd of fans at Jiranakorn Stadium in Haad Yai. It was just the second road win of the year for the Islanders. The goal came when the Brazilian…
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Phuket Gazette: Red Bull’s Baumgartner jumps from 96,640 feet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO: Felix Baumgartner completed the final milestone remaining before he attempts to achieve his dream of becoming the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall. According to preliminary data, his test jump from a 5.3 million cubic-foot balloon achieved an altitude of…
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Phuket Gazette: ‘The Jeffersons’ star Sherman Hemsley dead at 74
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘The Jeffersons’ star Sherman Hemsley dead at 74 Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: American actor Sherman Hemsley, who starred as George Jefferson in the 1970s television series ‘The Jeffersons’ and ‘All in the Family’, died at his home in Texas on Tuesday, police said. He…
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National News: Five police killed in Yala; Flood warnings; Thais get out of Syria
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pickup bomb kills five policemen in yala Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Five police officers were killed yesterday and another wounded by a car bomb attack in Yala’s Raman district. The six man squad from Tha Thong Police Station, which was assigned to escort teachers…
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Phuket hotel investments surge in 2012
PHUKET: Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels is predicting that Phuket will be one of Asia Pacific’s hotel investment hot spots in 2012, following record sales in the first half of the year. Investment in the hotel property sector in Phuket is expected to exceed 10 billion baht (US$315m) for the full year for first time ever in 2012. Mike Batchelor, Managing…
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Phuket AMCHAM puts “Best Green Tourism Practices’ on the agenda
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket Chapter is co-ordinating with local environmental welfare group SEEK to hold a seminar focusing on Best Green Tourism Practices in Phuket. The seminar, to be held at the Holiday Inn Patong on August 24, will highlight how sustainable green programs, ranging from recycling, energy and water savings and more, can help…
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British tourist, 47, drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: An English tourist who ignored warnings not to swim in dangerous surf at Patong Beach yesterday became the latest monsoon-season drowning victim in Phuket. Patong Police received a report of the incident at 8:15am. Among the officers who rushed to the scene were Patong Police Superintendent Jirapat Phochanaphan and his deputy Kittipong Klaikaew. Pol Sub Lt Thawatchai Srimai told…
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Phuket Health: Doctor’s orders – eat dark chocolate
PHUKET: Scientists have known for a long time about the protective effects of this “magic food” on atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). I call it “magic food” because the full official name of the main component in dark chocolate is Theobroma Cocoa or “Food of God” – from the Greek words theo (God) and broma (drink). Supposedly, cocoa has been…
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Phuket Gardening: Taking the pisonia
PHUKET: THE Phuket Gazette is certainly living up to its status as an international newspaper. Bernard King from Auckland, New Zealand, no less, wonders if I can send him some pisonia seeds. He writes: “I am a disciple of growing tropical plants in a cool country. I have managed to grow a small mango tree that is bearing fruits. I…
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Phuket Gazette: A kaleidoscope of sporting news
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sutiya shooting for goldPhuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit is upbeat about her chances in the Olympics following intensive training in Germany with her coach Jan Henrik Heinrich. The national skeet shooter, who has been in London for almost a week, said a month…
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Project to reverse Patong traffic flow hits a speed bump
PHUKET: A long-awaited plan to reverse the direction of one-way traffic flow in Patong was expected to take effect in June, but has been delayed as work to complete a new roundabout at the north end of the beach road has fallen behind schedule. The 4.2-million-baht Laem Petch Circle project was delayed due to the need to remove utility poles…
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Phuket Gazette: Ronnie Barker’s son arrested on child porn charges
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ronnie Barker’s son arrested on child porn charges after 8 years on the run Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Adam Barker, son of British comedian Ronnie Barker, appeared in a London court yesterday after being on the run for more than eight years, police said.…
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Truck driver charged after Phuket woman crushed in rush hour
PHUKET: The driver of a six-wheeled truck with a dual-axle trailer in tow has been charged with reckless driving causing death after his trailer clipped a 58-year-old woman riding a motorbike to work this morning.The woman, Prapha Charoensiri, fell on to the road and died instantly after she was crushed under the wheels of the juggernaut.Maj Kittiphum Tinthalang of Phuket…
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Thailand News: Weather warning issued as Vicente moves on
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The national weather bureau is warning of heavy rain and possible flooding, as well as forest run-off, this week due to the effects of Typhoon Vicente. The Meteorological Department today issued a warning for those living in the northeast, north as well as the eastern…
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Phuket Gazette: Food poisoning sickens 35 homeless
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Food poisoning sickens 35-plus at Denver dinner for homeless Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: More than 35 people were taken to Denver-area hospitals late Sunday after being stricken with suspected food poisoning caused by a meal of turkey served at a shelter for the poor and homeless,…
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Aussie tourist who cried ‘rape’ in Phuket deported today
PHUKET: Stevie Rochelle Bamford, the 21-year-old woman convicted of falsely reporting that she was raped in Patong, was deported to her native Australia today. Patong Police escorted Ms Bamford to Phuket Immigration Headquarters at midday in preparation for her return flight. The officer escorting her said Ms Bamford was scheduled to board a flight home with her boyfriend this afternoon.…
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Outrigger to buy Phuket’s Laguna Beach Resort
PHUKET: Outrigger Hotels and Resorts announced today in a press release that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the 254-room Laguna Beach Resort, located on Bang Tao Bay on the northwest coast of Phuket. The transaction is scheduled to close in the first quarter of 2013. The press release did not stipulate how much the resort was being…
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Phuket Gazette: Hong Kong lashed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Typhoon Vicente lashes Hong Kong, injuring 118 Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A severe typhoon lashed Hong Kong early this morning, injuring more than 110 people and causing flooding in several parts of the city, local authorities said. It is the worst typhoon to hit…
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Phuket Lifestyle: APEC launches photo contest
PHUKET: THE Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat has extended an invitation to the region’s photographers to submit pictures that best capture the organization’s priorities. The photos should be inspired by four themes: trade and investment liberalization regional economic integration strengthening food security establishing reliable supply chains intensive cooperation to foster innovative growth These themes reflect the policy priorities that APEC…
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Phuket Investor: The alternative gold rush
PHUKET: With all the economic strife the world has seen over the past 12 months, I feel as if I’ve turned into a portrayer of doom. So, I’m taking the doom gloves off and jumping on the feel good train, which seems to have hit the European markets this last couple of weeks. I’m not saying that the problems have…
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Phuket Live Wire: Faster and closer, but not for us
PHUKET: Investors are lined up, and ground is about to be broken on the Asia Pacific Gateway, the fastest, slickest submarine data cable ever constructed. And it’s coming to Thailand. While most underwater data cables in the Pacific end up in the US, this one’s different. It starts in Malaysia, travels 10,400 kilometers (more than 6,000 miles) to Japan, and…
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Phang Nga man crushed in Phuket crane accident
PHUKET: The operator of a pile-driving crane was crushed to death when the machine fell off its trailer in Phuket this morning. Thalang Police were notified of the accident in front of the Thalang National Museum in Srisoonthorn at 9:25am today. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers raced to the scene to find a man’s body pinned under the retractable boom of…
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Patong, Phuket set for election alcohol bans
PHUKET: The sale of alcohol will be banned across Phuket on August 26 and again in Patong on September 2 as voters go to the polls for local elections. The August 26 island-wide alcohol ban will come into effect as residents vote in the upcoming Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) council election. The ban, in accordance with the Election Act,…
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Phuket Hospital cuts red tape for free treatment of officials
PHUKET: Local government officers can now receive medical treatment at the Phuket Provincial Hospital in Phuket Town without going through the “pay first, be reimbursed later” process. The deal was inked by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising yesterday, when he signed an agreement to provide a medical care advance credit arrangement at the hospital for public-sector workers.…
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Thailand Open commences August 9
PHUKET: The Thailand Open commences August 9-12 at Suwan Golf & Country Club. Players from Europe and Asia will be competing for US$1 million in prize money at the OneAsia event. Veteran golfer, Prayad Marksaeng, hopes to put behind him the disappointment of coming a close second last year to Australia’s Andre Stolz. The Australian beat Prayad scoring 22-under compared…
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